Vedrine says talks in Damascus rich, useful
Syria, Politics, 1/14/1998

French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine on Tuesday night concluded a two-day visit to Syria. Vedrine said that his visit to Damascus was rich and useful. "I was received by President Hafez Al Assad and held lengthy talks with him and with the Foreign Minister al Sharaa, and I am quite satisfied with the talks," Vedrine said.

He added that talks centered on issues of common concern, Syrian-French ties, and ways of developing them. Talks also dealt with the stalled ME peace process and efforts exerted by France to break the process's impasse, Vedrine stated. He said, "France attaches a special importance to political dialogue," and, "I conveyed President's Chirac's message to President al-Assad in this connection."

For his part Al Sharaa expressed satisfaction with the results of Vedrine's visit to Damascus and his successful talks with President Assad. He said: "The visit gave a momentum to the current dialogue between the two sides, and its outcomes are positive and satisfactory, and need following up... We agreed to follow up, and President Chirac's message is a step forward."

He went on to say talks with Vedrine centered on the Middle East peace process, which is deadlocked due to the Netanyahu government's anti-Madrid conference stances.

"We hope that France, along with its European partners, will play an important role in rescuing the process. We attach importance to the roles of France and the European Union, and it is no exaggeration to say that all are in need of this very role, including parties concerned and the two main co-sponsors, the US and Russia," the Syrian minister added.

Replying to journalists' questions about France's role in the peace process, Vedrine said, "France does not stop working for this purpose and is still working to maintain relations with the states of the region, inside the EU, with the US and Russia to revive the peace process." He added that Syrian officials expect Europe to play a greater role in the peace process.

When asked whether he discussed with President Assad the issue of tension between Syria and Turkey and if France was asked to mediate between Syria and Turkey, Vedrine said: "We have not talked about a real mediation. I have recently, as you know, visited Turkey and talked with Turkish officials, and I briefed the senior Syrian officials whom I met in Damascus with the content of these talks. France in this case is not a mediator, rather it is a basic partner who may help both parties to make a better analysis for the conditions."

Vedrine said the financial protocol signed by France and Syria on Tuesday -- the first of its kind in 10 years -- will greatly push bilateral relations forward. It is just a framework, then projects will be worked out according to the concerned countries' needs, Vedrine said.

On imposing economic sanctions by the European Union on Israel as was the case with South Africa, Vedrine said Europe is not for the use of commercial and economic weapons to solve political problems. He added Europe differs from the US in this respect, but this does not prevent strict and strong diplomatic action.

Previous Stories:
  France for unconditional Israeli pullback from Lebanon   (1/13/1998)
  King Hussein receives French foreign minister   (1/13/1998)
  French Foreign Minister begins regional tour in Beirut   (1/12/1998)

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